Dutch Election Too Close to Call as D66 and PVV Battle for Lead

The outcome of the Dutch general election remains uncertain as the far-right PVV and liberal D66 are locked in a tight race, each projected to win 26 seats. With 99.7% of votes counted, both parties have secured roughly 1.7 million votes, separated by only a few thousand.
A delay in final results has been caused by slow counting in some districts and a small electrical fire at Venray town hall. The inclusion of around 90,000 votes from Dutch citizens living abroad, expected by Monday evening, could still determine which party claims the symbolic top spot.
Early Thursday afternoon, D66 took a slim 15,000-vote lead after the final results from Amsterdam were reported. While the narrow difference may not change seat allocations, the leader of the largest party traditionally begins coalition talks — a process both PVV leader Geert Wilders and D66’s Rob Jetten have already expressed interest in leading.
Parliamentary chairman Martin Bosma said coalition discussions will not begin until the full count, including expat ballots, is complete. Historically, expatriate votes have favored left-leaning parties, suggesting D66 could maintain or expand its slight lead once the final tally is in.